As most photographers will tell you, a camera does nothing more than control the amount of light that reaches the sensor (film or digital), and it's the photographer that determines what the camera sees. That said, the specific camera, or camera system, dictates how much of the photographer's vision can be recorded.

I currently use a Canon DSLR system, having transitioned to digital capture in late 2004.

• Canon EOS-1D Mark III
  This is a very nice body for wildlife shooting. The 10.1 mega-pixel chip, with a 1.3 magnification factor, and the ability to shoot 10 frames per second for a 30-RAW-frame burst, makes it very nice for capturing action. The extremely low noise at higher ISOs opens up new shooting possibilities in low light.
  
  
• Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II
  An excellent body for shooting landscapes. The 16.6 mega-pixel chip provides almost as much information as a scanned slide, and without the grain of the film, the images look spectacular. The full-frame sensor (no magnification factor) allows wide angle shots to be made.
  
  

• Canon EF 16-35mm f2.8 L USM
  A nice ultra-wide-angle zoom.
  
  
• Canon EF 24-105mm f4 L IS USM
  This mid-range zoom lens replaced my Canon EF 28-135 f3.5-5.6 IS USM which felt chintzy and had soft corners. The 24-105 has a sturdy "L"-lens feel, and the corners are much sharper.
  
  
• Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM
  A very useful long-range zoom, and it's built like a tank.
  
  
• Sigma AF 120-300mm f2.8 APO EX IF USM
  A fast zoom with a decent focal-length range. It's built well, and the IF design means that the lens doesn't change length when focussing or zooming, and it's very convenient when working out of a Kinesis long-lens bag on safari. Because it weighs a ton and is fairly long, the 100-400 is in my bag more often when weight is a concern.
  
  
• Canon EF 180mm f3.5 L Macro USM
  A nice, yet large, macro lens. I usually only carry it when I intend to shoot small subjects.
  
  
• Canon EF 500mm f4 L IS USM
  My big glass. Performs well with the 1.4x and 2x tele-extenders.
  
  
• Canon TS-E 24mm f3.5 L
  The wide-angle tilt/shift lens is great for landscapes with large "depth-of-field" requirements. The shift capability is useful for shooting "up" where the usual convergence effect isn't wanted.
  
  
• Canon TS-E 90mm f2.8
  The short-telephoto tilt/shift lens is great for close-ups with large "depth-of-field" requirements.
  
  
• The alphabet soup defined
  

  APO	- APOchromatic
  EX	- superior build and optical quality (or EXpensive)
  HSM	- Hyper-Sonic Motor
  IF	- Internal Focusing
  IS	- Image Stabilization
  L	- pro-Level (or Luxury, or Ludicrously priced)
  USM	- Ultra-Sonic Motor

  
  
  

• Canon EF 1.4x II
  I use this 1.4x tele-extender on the 100-400, 120-300, 180, and 500.
  
  
• Canon EF 2x II
  I use this 2x tele-extender on the 500, and occasionally on the 120-300.
  
  

When I don't have my macro along, I prefer extension tubes, rather than close-up lenses, because they're lighter and they're one-size-fits-all.


• Canon EF12
• Canon EF25
  
  

• UV Haze
  Permanently attached to each lens, mainly to protect the front element.
  
  
• Circular Polarizing
  Sizes to fit each lens.
  
  
• Neutral Density
  3-stop filters to fit each lens. Used to enhance water blur.
  
  
• Split Neutral Density
  2-stop in the "P" size (84x120 mm). I just hold it in front of the lens. I used to have a 1-stop filter too, but every time I thought about using a split neutral density filter, the results with the 2-stop filter were better than with the 1-stop filter.
  
  

• Canon Speedlite 550EX
  A reliable flash that I usually use as a slave in a two-flash setup.
  
  
• Canon Speedlite 580EX II
  A very nice flash that has a fair amount of weatherproofing. The new single-button release for the tilt and swing makes the flash a joy to use.
  
  
• Canon Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2
  An "extension cord" for the flash.
  
  
• Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce Flash Diffuser
  I have an omni-bounce flash diffuser for each flash to help soften the light.
  
  
• Wimberley F-1 Telephoto Flash Bracket
  The F-1 telephoto kit (M-1, M-2, and M-3 modules) holds the flash above the 500, and the M-6 Extension Post added to it holds it even higher to get the light further off-axis. The M-1 with the kit, supplemented with another M-1, makes a great beanbag support. (As of early 2008, it was cheaper to buy two M-1s seperately, than their special kit with two M-1s — go figure.)
  
  
• Wimberley F-2 Macro Flash Bracket
  The F-2 macro kit (M-1 and M-4 modules) is a very flexible support for macro photography. If you already own an M-1 bracket as part of their F-1 kit (see above), you can purchase just the M-4 module to complete the setup. Use two F-2 macro kits to hold two flashes for better lighting.
  
  
• Canon Remote Switch
  Better known as an electronic cable release.
  
  
• Canon Angle Finder C
  The right-angle finder extension is great for low-level shots, especially when the camera is pointed straight up.
  
  

• Kinesis A257 Body Pouch
  A body pouch (duh!) for the Kinesis system. Useful for carrying a second body or a pair of binoculars.
  
  
• Kinesis L321 PolyCore™ Long Lens Case 300
  A very rigid long-lens case that can hold the 120-300 (with hood in place) with 1.4x and body attached.
  
  
• Kinesis L526 LightWeight Long Lens Case 500
  A great long-lens case that breaks down flat for shipping. It can hold the 500 (with hood reversed) with 2x and body attached. It's also useful as a "holster" for the 500 (with hood in place) while shooting out of a vehicle.
  
  
• Lowepro Nature Trekker AW
  This backpack carries my minimum set of gear (16-35, 24 TS, 24-105, and 100-400), and I use it for long hikes.
  
  
• Lowepro Photo Trekker Classic
  I use this backpack for airline travel, and it usually carries my wildlife gear (16-35, 24-105, 120-300, and 500).
  
  
• Lowepro Pro Trekker AW
  This backpack carries my standard set of gear (16-35, 24 TS, 24-105, 90 TS, 100-400 or 120-300, and 180 Macro), and I use this pack most often for landscape work.
  
  
• Lowepro Daypack for Trekker
  A great add-on rear "pocket" to the Trekker AW packs. In the field, it holds snacks, water, and extra clothes. While traveling, it's the perfect size for a laptop in a soft case
  
  

• Gitzo GT3540XLS Tripod
  This 6x carbon-fiber model has four-segment legs that extend long enough (78 in or 198 cm) for most shots on uneven ground, and without a center post, it can get down to ground level. It folds down to 27.6 in (70 cm) and weighs 4.3 lb (1.95 kg). The 6x legs prevent the legs from rotating and make the locks extremely easy to operate.
  
  
• Arca-Swiss B-1
  The granddaddy of ball heads.
  
  
• Kinesis SafariSack I
  A great bean bag for shooting out of the top of a vehicle or from other generally flat surfaces.
  
  
• Kirk Quick-Release Plates
  I use Kirk quick-release plates on all my gear. The 1Ds Mk II has an L-bracket, the 1D Mk III has a regular camera plate because I rarely use it on a lens without a tripod collar, my lenses with a tripod collar have lens plates, and my 500 f4 has the LP-53 bracket that replaces the Canon foot thus reducing weight and height.
  
  
• Really Right Stuff MPR-CL II Panorama Rail
  The MPR-CL II panorama rail is great for placing the lens nodal point over the camera rotation point to create better multi-frame panoramic images. It includes a bubble level to help level the camera.
  
  
• Vertex Photographic Molar Bean Bag
  A great window support that packs into a smaller space and weighs less than a metal window support. Well, that's when it's empty. When it's filled, it weighs a ton because it holds about as many beans as three normal bean bags.
  
  
• Wimberley M-1 Quick-Release Arm
  Two M-1 modules make a great beanbag support. (As of mid 2007, it was cheaper to buy two M-1s seperately, than their special kit with two M-1s — go figure.)
  
  
• Wimberley Sidekick
  A great mount for the 500 f4. The balance is a dream. It's an adapter from the Arca-Swiss ball head, and is a more-convenient option than having a dedicated full-up Wimberley head.
  
  

• Lexar 2GB 80x Compact Flash cards
  These are my third-line, in-the-field digital storage devices.
  
  
• SanDisk 4GB Extreme IV Compact Flash cards
  These are my second-line, in-the-field digital storage devices.
  
  
• SanDisk 8GB Extreme IV Compact Flash cards
  These are my primary, in-the-field digital storage devices.
  
  
• Epson P-4000
  I use the P-4000 only to download data from CF cards while in the field — I don't edit (delete) images on it. It allows me to use fewer CF cards for a whole day's worth of shooting, and I usually download images from it to my laptop at the end of the day.
  
  
• Apple 15-in MacBook Pro (2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo)
  A fast platform for running Capture One in the field to edit images (mainly deleting) and for storing images.
  
  
• Pelican 1470 Case
  This is a great case for protecting a 15-in laptop. It's waterproof, so it'll also keep out dust, and unbreakable, so you can put it in a luggage duffel and not have to worry about it receiving rough treatment.
  
  

• Apple Mac Pro (2 x 3.0 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon)
  A lightning-fast platform for running Photoshop and Capture One.
  
  
• Eizo ColorEdge CG210
  This 21" LCD display is my main display. It has coupled hardware- and software-based color calibration to provide a wide gamut of accurate colors, and displays 1600x1200 pixels. It also has hardware-based pivoting which allows the display to be rotated from the normal landscape orientation to portrait orientation w/o having to have a special graphics card. This is nice, but Photoshop CS died when the display was rotated while it was running, so I got in the habit of leaving the display in landscape orientation. This display replaced my Apple 23" Cinema HD Display (new style) because that display had noticeable color variation along the left and right sides when calibrated for a D50 white point. The Eizo has great color uniformity, and only a very slight brightness variation along the left and right sides.
  
  
• Eizo FlexScan L887
  This 20" LCD display is my secondary display. It has manual hardware-based color controls to improve software-based color calibration, and displays 1600x1200 pixels. It's definitely overkill for a second display (The Eizo FlexScan L568 17" LCD in portrait orientation would probably be a more reasonable option.), but I really like having all of that real estate available. It's great for keeping lots of Photoshop pallets open at once, and also for showing the Capture One file browser.
  
  
• Nikon Super CoolScan 4000 ED
  The original high-end 35mm scanner from Nikon generates a 14-bit, 19 mega-pixel file. The new Super CoolScan 5000 ED is faster and generates a full 16-bit file, but I've gotten used to multi-tasking with the 4000. Hey, it's nice to be able to get up and stretch or check email while the machine's working away.
  
  
• Epson Stylus Photo 2200
  Epson's entry-level printer with archival-quality UltraChrome inks. It handles paper up to 13x44 in, and I use it for making art cards with matte-black ink on matte paper.
  
  
• Epson Stylus Pro 4800
  Epson's smallest professional printer with archival-quality UltraChrome K3 inks for the highest-quality color and black and white prints. It handles paper up to 17 in wide, and I use it for making fine-art prints with photo-black ink on luster photo paper.
  
  
• Capture One Pro
  This RAW conversion tool from Phase One lets you zoom-in to the pixel level to examine focus and sharpness before processing the image.
  
  
• Genuine Fractals
  This Photoshop plugin from onOne Software is the standard tool for up-resing images.
  
  
• Noise Ninja
  This Photoshop plugin, or stand-alone application, from Picture Code is the premier noise-reduction tool, and works magic on scanned images.
  
  
• Photoshop CS3 by Adobe
  Is there an alternative?